Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - January 14, 2022
Message From Principal McKillop
I want to start my newsletter by thanking so many of our students for engaging in thoughtful dialogue regarding school culture. A few members of the admin team have been traveling to TASC homerooms to talk about school culture and get feedback on current procedures. We will pause these conversations next week (final exams/projects) and continue them the week of January 24th.
Thanks to the parents/guardians who are currently helping us organize our parent volunteer initiative. Please be sure to read the section found below with more information. I will be sure to include the date for our February meeting in a future newsletter once a date is confirmed.
Our semester one final exam/project/experience schedule is included below. Tuesday marks the last day of classes. Please be sure to view the schedule and click on the link to see the modified bus routes.
Enjoy the weekend and stay warm.
Best,
Heather
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Website: cvhs.convalsd.net
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Table of Contents (TOC)
- Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- Semester 1 Finals Schedule and Modified Bus Route
- Parent Volunteer Opportunities
- School Counseling Newsletter
- Covid-19 Updates
- Examples of student work, classroom highlights, news around campus
- Co-Curricular/Athletic Updates
Upcoming Important Dates
January 19 -21, 2022 - Semester Exams (See schedule below)
February 1, 2022 - NHHEAF 6:00 pm (Juniors applying for college)
February 1 - 11, 2022 - Course election for next year (Grades 9, 10, & 11)
Semester 1 Finals Schedule
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - Block 2 Final (9:45 - 11:15 am)
Thursday, January 20, 2022 - Block 3 Final (7:45 - 9:15 am)
Thursday, January 20, 2022 - Block 4 Final (9:45 - 11:15 am )
Friday, January 21, 2022 - Make up Final
Please see the modified bus routes - schedule link; regular bus routes will be followed each day at 2:20 pm. Note: **NO LATE BUS - 1/19, 1/20, & 1/21**
Please Consider Joining Us As A Parent Volunteer!
As a result of our of first two parent meetings, we are excited to begin building a parent and community volunteer partnership. When Principal McKillop held the first parent/guardian meeting on December 13th, an idea that surfaced among the group was having parents volunteer in various capacities. This idea was further discussed at our most recent parent/guardian meeting on Monday, January 10th. If potentially interested in this idea, please view this Google form. We look forward to this opportunity to collaborate and promote unity with our students, staff, parents, and our community partners.
Chromebook/Finals Reminder:
Please remember to bring your charged Chromebook for finals. Please bring your charger as well if you are not able to fully charge your device before finals.
School Counseling
Covid-19 Update
Based on a revision to the reopening plan, the district is no longer sending daily emails re: Covid-19 cases. Please see this link to find data about our school. This is the data that is reviewed by the district Covid-19 Monitoring Team.
Blended Learning Model At Its Best
Students in Mr. Leonard' Block 2 US Economics and Government class continue seamlessly with their work, preparing for the semester finals next week.
Because the blended learning model is fully implemented in the course, Greg Leonard is in a position to provide the agenda for the class session, even at 6:47 in the morning. During the actual class, students work independently and consult individually with their co-teacher Tyler Mudrick when questions arise.
Blended learning assists teachers to ensure the goal of instructional continuation during a teacher or student absence.
Students Take The Initiative In Class
With a substitute in the room, a junior conducts the Pep Band in a rehearsal of “Build Me Up, Buttercup,” the 1968 hit record by the British soul band The Foundations.
Congratulations to all the students in Jim Wickham’s second block class for being so self-reliant and taking independent responsibility for their own learning!
Students Debate Scenarios, Options For Tangier Island
Students in Andria Johnson's Earth and Space Science class are currently learning about the effects of climate change, using Tangier Island in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay as a concrete example to research scenarios and discuss options.
The inhabitants of Tangier, who rely on soft-shell crabs and tourism for their income, face a unique challenge in the climate debate. Students discuss whether the island inhabitants are best served by investing in a sea wall and other sea-level rise mitigation structures, or if they should abandon the island.
Tangier Island provides valuable tidal salt marsh habitat for waterfowl, such as pelicans, blue herons, osprey, rails, egrets, as well as several rare varieties of ducks and geese and is, therefore, a popular destination for ecotourism.
But over the last century and a half, the island's landmass has been reduced by 67%. The Army Corps of Engineers has concluded that Tangier has between 25 and 50 years remaining before sea-level rise, erosion, and the increasing severity of flooding will render the island uninhabitable.
It was inspiring to see students use complex data research and engage passionately with a subject that will likely have much broader applicability in the years to come.
Athletic and Co-curricular Information/Update
Boys Basketball
On Thursday night ConVal hosted the battle of the undefeateds between the 7-0 ConVal Cougars and the 7-0 Souhegan Sabers. Despite hard efforts, the Cougars, who have played fantastically throughout the start of the season, didn't have their best and fell 45-42. The Cougars have no time to dwell on their loss as they look to bounce back with a heavy schedule ahead of them over the next 7 days playing at home against Milford on Saturday, away at Hanover on Sunday, away at Pelham next Tuesday, home against Merrimack Valley next Wednesday, and away at Coe-Brown next Friday.
All of our winter athletic schedules & updates can be found on the ConVal athletics website. Please come out and support our athletes and their coaches.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars John Reitnauer at jreitnauer@conval.edu.
Students Present Work
Region 14/CTE Program Information and Update
Students enrolled in a Region 14 Applied Tech Center CTE program are invited to register for a field trip to Keene State College to tour the campus, experience two CTE related mini-courses, and eat in the KSC dining hall on Friday, March 25. The bus will depart CVHS at 7:45 and return to campus by 2. This is a FREE field trip and a great opportunity to explore Keene State, which offers 8 FREE articulated college credits for any student who completes a CTE program. Fill out this form to register, and see Mrs. Kiley in the main office if you have questions. Registration is limited to the first 40 students who complete the form AND turn in a completed permission slip.
KSC Scholarship
There is a new scholarship at Keene State College for potential Sustainable Product Design and Innovation (SPDI) majors. The Delmar Ogg SPDI Scholarship will award $500 to eligible incoming first-year SPDI majors. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
If you’re not familiar with the SPDI program, please visit our website at https://www.keene.edu/academics/programs/spdi/ or contact Dr. Lisa Hix at lhix@keene.edu or 603-358-2056. The bachelor of science in SPDI is a great fit for CTE students who enjoy designing and creating things and provides students with learning opportunities in
Creative problem solving and the new product design and development process
Sustainability principles
Prototyping in metals and wood tech labs
Advanced tech: additive manufacturing (3d printing), laser cutting, bio-fabrication, ultra-precision optics, CAD/CAM/CNC
Engineering options
Business and entrepreneurship
Research opportunities
Project Steno
Want a career that is in demand and comes with a great paycheck? Consider learning about becoming a court stenographer! Check out this video to see what it’s all about; you can make over $100,000 within your first 5 years! ConVal is offering a FREE introductory class starting Monday, January 24 from 2:30-4. Basic Training introduces candidates to the many career options available to today's court reporting and captioning professionals. It is a hands-on opportunity to learn the basics of steno theory in a virtual classroom environment - a first step before entering a two-year educational program. Please sign-up using this Google Form. You can also email Mrs. Kiley at jkiley@conval.edu for more information.
Study Bridge
Are you a student who is interested in traveling the world? Are you ready to learn another language? Is science, technology, engineering, or math “your thing?” You should connect with Frau Hodgdon to learn about the Study Bridge program through the Goethe Institut! This unique program offers you the opportunity to become fluent in German through classes both here in the United States and through summer classes in Germany in preparation for studying for a STEM related career at a German university; one of the many benefits is 4 FREE years of university! One of the best parts about this opportunity is that it’s FREE for ConVal students since ConVal has been selected as a Beacon for German Learning through the PASCH initiative. Who should consider this opportunity? Students who are already studying German, anyone in a STEM-related CTE program, and all freshmen. Email Cindi Hodgdon (chodgdon@conval.edu) for more information.